Uppers would also get more smoke as all the smoke would have to travel at grate (and above) before exiting.For me, if Franklin designs and builds his propane tank smokers like the ones in the pictures, that would be proof positive.He's not God, but he does alright smoked meat wise.

Before I would recommend changing anything I would want to know about your fire management. Typically excessive ash in the chamber is poor fire and pushing ash on un-burned wood. You have a large cooker that will require a huge warm up and big coal base. The exhaust placement is not your problem in my opinion. All my cookers are built with upper exhausts and I only have had an ash problem when over stoaking and trying to super heat her.Pre heating your chamber will help then start with lump or charcoal along with some splits to create a good coal base.

k.a.m. wrote:Before I would recommend changing anything I would want to know about your fire management. Typically excessive ash in the chamber is poor fire and pushing ash on un-burned wood. You have a large cooker that will require a huge warm up and big coal base. The exhaust placement is not your problem in my opinion. All my cookers are built with upper exhausts and I only have had an ash problem when over stoaking and trying to super heat her.Pre heating your chamber will help then start with lump or charcoal along with some splits to create a good coal base.

I have a 24x24 basket that I put lump charcoal in thats lit through a weber chimney starter. I then go to sticks of hickory or cherry or oak. I get it when I place wood on it it will stir up a bit of ash but it seems to be drafting into the cook chamber. I thought about putting a 6'' baffle over the cc/firebox opening to catch some of the ash. K.A.M i sent you a PM before i realized you replied to my thread

KAM can probably confirm or deny this, but would putting that expanded metal there cut down your actual firebox to CC passage area to the point where you get your “numbers” out of whack? (As in Feldon numbers, or whatever else you use?). 1/2” #13 expanded metal only has like 60% open area..

So I put a 12'' pinwheel vent in the door instead of dropping the grate. This seemed to cure my issues, the smoker temperatures seemed to balance out and I cooked 6 ribs, 1 brisket, 1 Boston butt, 2 tenderloins, 2 chuck roasts, they were all delicious. I will update with any other issues thanks for the help K.A.M

Theroadwarrior wrote:So I put a 12'' pinwheel vent in the door instead of dropping the grate. This seemed to cure my issues, the smoker temperatures seemed to balance out and I cooked 6 ribs, 1 brisket, 1 Boston butt, 2 tenderloins, 2 chuck roasts, they were all delicious. I will update with any other issues thanks for the help K.A.M